Tigray drone strikes kill 3 civilians, monitor says

Drone strikes in Ethiopia's Tigray region killed three civilians and an unknown number of Tigrayan fighters early Tuesday, conflict monitor ACLED told AFP.

ACLED said seven strikes targeted buses unloading Tigrayan soldiers in the Hintalo region, south of the regional capital Mekele. It said three civilians from the same family were killed and four other civilians were injured.

Tigray People's Liberation Front vice president Amanuel Assefa accused Ethiopia's federal government of carrying out a drone strike in Hintalo district. He said he had heard civilians were killed in their homes but gave no further details. AFP said it could not independently verify the claim.

A medical source at a nearby hospital, speaking anonymously, told AFP that at least three people were wounded in Tuesday's strike, including at least one member of the Tigrayan forces. The federal army did not respond to requests for comment.

ACLED has previously recorded 14 drone strikes in Tigray this year, focused on military targets. The federal government has launched multiple drone strikes in Tigray in recent weeks and massed troops at the regional border, raising fears of a return to the 2020-2022 civil war.

The TPLF ruled Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018 before being sidelined after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power. Rights groups have accused the TPLF of forced recruitment this year.